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What was intended as a sit-down meeting called by “RuPaul’s Drag Race” winner Sharon Needles to dialogue with LGBT Atlanta detractors of racial imagery in her act and use of the word “nigger” got heated at Jungle Wednesday as the club prepared for a Needles appearance and possible protest.

Queer Atlantans Enakai and Maura Ciseaux agreed to meet with the drag artist (aka Aaron Cody, photo) to hear Needles’ take on the controversial statements, which she has defended in the past as her right to make as an artist. Reporters as well as Jungle officials also attended for the session, which was the most vocal Needles has been on the issue.

Needles said the meeting was called because detractors in hometown Pittsburgh weren’t willing to have a conversation, instead aiming aiming violence at her and her home. In contrast, she welcomed a dialogue with people willing to have a face-to-face about it. Enakai Cisneaux offered similar stories about the black experience in queer bars that he said don’t provide a safe space for people of color. Instead, he’s faced with gay people stereotyping or flat-out ignoring him.

“My intention was never to hurt anyone,” the performer said in opened the conversation. “As a transgressive artist, I and a lot of my idols use language and shock imagery to juxtapose certain images and words – like I put the word love next to ‘that word’—to mock and shine a light on things that scared the shit out of me when I was young. Another word with a double “g” was thrown at me a lot. I’ve been called faggot, queer, and it scared the shit out me. I know what it’s like to be hurt by those kind of statements, and my intention is to subvert them and bring them to light.”

It’s an expansion of Needles’ viewpoint on the motivation behind her work that she stated in earlier interviews this week.

Enakai Ciseaux countered that performances in Nazi uniforms and signing an autograph for a fan of color with “love you nigger” aren’t juxtaposing anything – and are actually oppressing, not just hurting people.

“You’re not black,” Ciseaux said. “It’s not your world, girl. You can subvert white gay images all you want because you were oppressed by that. No one has ever called you ‘nigger.’ It’s not yours to subvert.”

Conciliatory, Needles nodded in understanding and went on to try and explain that the act, and the performer, are evolving.

“I’ve done a lot of soul searching over the last several days, and the word is out of my vocabulary,” Needles said. “I don’t want to be counter-productive. I want to bring people together,” conceding further that, “I understand that my shows aren’t for everyone and how it can be misconstrued.”

Unsatisfied, the Ciseauxs asserted that Needles statements felt like the performer was saying the offending material was dropped, but that they weren’t hearing a concession that anything was done wrong. They asked for a public apology and for a specific plan for not using racial imagery in the future.

Needles apologized three times for hurting anyone, including the Ciseauxs. “I do apologize for anyone who was offended or hurt, because that was never my intention,” Needles said.

The performer went on to say that the offending word has been removed from her vocabulary. But she stopped short of providing a plan for the future, citing that “I won’t be barked at for an apology and be forced to make a statement. If I decide to do so, it will be on my own terms.”

The discussion devolved rapidly. After making clear that their goal was to “never see [Needles] again” and not frequent Jungle “as long as they employ people like you,” the Ciseauxs stood up and left. After the pair walked out without goodbyes, saying they’d “heard all that we needed to hear,” Needles broke down into tears.

“Language has the power that we give it,” the performer said. “If my art isn’t creating conversations, then what the fuck was this? Real racism hides in dark, filthy places, and I have a big spotlight on me that I try to use to drown out the wrongs of race, religion, gender and creed and put it in the spotlight for all to see. I am more than willing to talk about it. I’m not hiding.”

Despite – and perhaps prodded by – the controversy, Jungle sold out of 300 presale tickets to Wednesday’s show and will accept newcomers at the door until filled to capacity for the Fantasy Girls show. Doors open at 9 p.m. It’s not clear if the protest will still go on.

I'm so fucking tired of people thinking that an upside down cross is edgy and what the fuck have you. The upside down cross was used as a way of showing you were subservient to jesus. One of his disciples (don't remember who, don't make me go get my fucking bible out of my closet, i haven't touched it in 16 years) asked to be crucified upside down because he didn't feel he was worthy of being crucified the same way jesus was.

the fucking pope has an upside down cross on his throne! For fucks sake!

Also I don't even know who she is and don't like her already so there's that.

I said I don't like her, and I don't even know her so my dislike of her is because she's racist and uses racist remarks and is like "ohhhh i didn't mean to hurt anyone!". So what's the problem here, I already said I didn't like her. I'm stating another reason why I don't like her.

There are two different interpretations of the upside-down cross, and while the original meaning still exists in the Catholic church, it's been absorbed into a variety of anti-gnostic belief systems. The symbol has evolved in two different ways, similar to the Nazi's co-opting the Buddhist swastika.

WHY!!! i feel like more and more white people think it's okay to say this word.. i was out at a bar this past weekend and there's this guy who's always there, he grew up in the neighborhood same as my boyfriend so we all talk here and there but he just bugs me.. he thinks hes a hilarious stand-up comedian.. but let me tell you he is NOT funny whatsoever. well anyway we went outside and all of a sudden i heard someone say the n word and i turn around and it was him. i said "are you serious? did you really just say that?" and he was all matter of factly "YES I DID!!" and i was like "yeah no surprise there." and for a split second i thought you better be thankful there are only white people here and then i heard this guy go "yeah man that shit isn't cool" and i turned and it was a black guy.. that guy is such an idiot. i never liked being around him before but if i see him again i'm definitely going to tell him to fuck off. politely.

it's funny you mention that white people are ballsier about the n word these days because my mom and I were just talking about that. I feel like it's a symptom of having a black president and people thinking that racism is officially over now. I have never in my life seen so people be completely nonchalant about being bigoted idiots. I'm talking even close friends of mine feeling like they can tell me that I'm too sensitive to racial slurs.

i could see that! i was friend with a black guy who told me it was okay to say the n word around him and i was like hell no i'm not comfortable with that, i just feel the most horrible.. and he was like it's ok my girl friends say it!! i was like no thanks.

No, not at all. It's the symptoms of the black community throwing it around like it's ok to be said, putting it on the radio, making people read it daily in texts, and then naming the title of a song with it so that people think it's normal to use.

It's a sad reality that the black community wants two separate worlds based on your skin color (ohh the irony) and that somehow a word can be both positive and negative. So yes, people do get confused on how it exactly is represented in society as a word. If it's going to be used as a positive "taken back" word then it's used as that, such as dyke which anyone is allowed to use because they want it to be a positive word. Or if it's such a bad word that the world explodes when someone uses it, then make that word never used again.

The answer to your question above is simple, but sadly we turn a blind eye to the hypocrisy that is the N-word. If you don't want anyone using it, don't use it yourself. If the meaning of a word changes by how you use it, then that pretty much means Sharon did nothing wrong because she didn't mean it as hate speech... but if the word is pure hate no matter how it's used... then the word shouldn't be used at all, by ANYONE.

And as much as you will come back with a "You're dumb and ignorant" or "I don't understand because i'm white"... well then that answers the question above also, maybe it's because it's not fully understood... but screaming it in every song lyric and having me hear it on the street everyday used in a positive sense between people is what causes the ignorance and lack of understanding. You can't expect to create a confusing hypocritical situation and not have people mistakenly use it the wrong way.

And i think it's more hateful to tell me to look at my own skin color constantly and remind me that i am not equal to the people around myself. Why kind of society are we when we want equality and then create words that can only be used based on your skin color. Stop defending the use of this word by anyone, or let everyone say it.

No, sorry. If you want to be shocking and edgey and uncompromising, then accept that others will also interpret you as ignorant and hurtful. If you want to be respectful and respected, understand where the boundaries are.

Why don't people understand that "words only have the power you give them" is actually just and even more condescending way of saying, "you're too sensitive if you're offended by my clearly insensitive bullshit". It's such a transparent cop out.

Words do only have the power people give them, though. But I don't see how that's relevant to argue in favor of using the word. People have given that word power and severity, therefore you should be more careful when using it or not using it and not the other way around.

"Another word with a double “g” was thrown at me a lot. I’ve been called faggot, queer, and it scared the shit out me. I know what it’s like to be hurt by those kind of statements, and my intention is to subvert them and bring them to light.”

what does that have to do with you using the n word? you don't know at all what it's like to be called that so stick to what you know. stick of white people telling me shit like "language has the power we give it"